Understanding the everyday realities of those working in social care can provide valuable insight to help shape policies and practices that reflect employee needs and improve the delivery of essential care.
We’re pleased to announce that, as a team of researchers from Cardiff University and the Centre for Adult Social Care Research (CARE), working in partnership with Social Care Wales and Care Forum Wales, we have launched the ‘Have Your Say 2026: The Social Care Workers’ Survey’. This survey is designed to capture the voices of everyone working in social care across Wales and give them the opportunity to share their experiences of working in the social care sector.
This research project builds on the previous 2023, 2024, and 2025 Have Your Say surveys and continues with the aim of gaining further understanding of what it is like to work in the social care sector in Wales. Have Your Say 2026 is an anonymous and voluntary survey asking everyone working in social care about their job; what they enjoy and what they find challenging; their pay and working conditions; their health and well-being; whether they feel valued in their role; and their motivations for working in the sector.
The development of Have Your Say 2026 has involved extensive engagement to ensure that the findings are relevant and useful to the social care sector in Wales. We formed an expert advisory committee comprising of individuals with significant experience and knowledge of the social care work. We’ve also engaged with the Welsh Government, presenting and discussing suggested changes and developments with the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) for Health and Social care in Wales, and the Social Care Fair Work Forum’s Workers’ Voice subcommittee.
Our engagement activities provided an opportunity to reflect on the questions important to varied voices and communities in the social care sector. Discussions raised issues of treatment of workers, variation in experiences across job roles and geographic location, as well as sector pressures (like worker well-being and retention). The importance of employment rights, job quality and fair work, and equalities was confirmed, informing the content of the 2026 survey.
Pilot testing ensured the study is accessible and practical for users, undertaken by volunteers from the Centre for Adult Social Care’s Professional Advisory Group members. Our project partners, Social Care Wales and Care Forum Wales, supported us with reviews of the questionnaire and promotion of the survey.
The survey is running from January 19th to March 4th. It’s open to everyone working in social care across Wales – past and present. We have shared the link with relevant organisations, but we need current and former workers from across the whole social care sector to take part. Input is essential to help us highlight key issues to Welsh Government officials, policy makers, employers, and trade unions. Help us reach far and wide by sharing the survey link and encouraging anyone working in social care to take part. Together, we can build a better understanding of the realities and experiences of working in the social care sector in Wales. We’re asking you for your help to share the survey across Wales. You can access the survey here.
In addition to the survey, we plan to conduct interviews with workers to gain deeper insights into the experiences of young adults in social care roles. We’ll be exploring their motivations, the barriers they face, and their long-term career ambitions in the context of a sector that needs to attract and retain young workers.
The first findings from the Have Your Say 2026 Social Care Workers Survey will be launched later this year. If you’d like more information or want to be informed about future outputs and activities, you can contact us at HYSsurvey@cardiff.ac.uk.
